Image: Ravichandran Ashwin believes Rishabh Pant has yet to unlock his full potential / © India TV News
After retiring from the Indian Cricket Team, Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his insights on the potential of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant. Despite Pant’s attacking style and notable performances, Ashwin believes the young cricketer has yet to reach his full potential. Ashwin, speaking on his YouTube channel, praised Pant’s defense, calling it one of the best in world cricket, and shared how the left-handed batter rarely gets out playing defensive shots.
Ashwin noted that despite his aggressive approach, which has sometimes led to a perception of him “throwing away his wicket”, Pant’s solid defense remains a key strength. Ashwin emphasized that Pant’s offensive shots, including reverse and slog sweeps, are high-risk plays, and that he could score consistently if he focused more on his defense and bat longer innings. He said:
We must realize that Rishabh Pant rarely gets out playing a defense. He’s got one of the best defenses in world cricket. Defense has become a challenging aspect, he has the best defense with a soft hand. I have bowled to him a lot in the nets, he’s not gotten out, he doesn’t get an edge, he doesn’t get LBW, and he has the best defense. I have tried telling it to him. We have to tell him properly what he has to do if he has to bat solid or bat with intent. He hasn’t scored a lot of runs, but he didn’t play like someone without runs. He has a lot of time on his hands. Rishabh Pant is yet to realize his fullest potential.
According to Ashwin, if Pant combines his attacking shots with a more solid defensive technique, he could score 100 runs regularly in every match. As of now, Pant has scored 2,948 runs at an average of 42.11 in Test cricket. Ashwin firmly believes that Pant has the time and ability to realize his full potential.